April 2, 2005St. John Armenian Church, Southfield, MI, will host a "St. Nersess Weekend" on April 8-10, 2005. This is the second straight year that the parish is dedicating a week of activities to support St. Nersess Seminary and its ever popular summer conferences for youth.

Armenian Dance to Benefit St. Nersess Scholarship FundHundreds are expected at an Armenian dance which will take place on Saturday, April 9 at 8:00 PM in the church's cultural hall. Proceeds from the dance will go toward a fund intended to provide complete scholarships for St. John's youth to attend the St. Nersess summer conferences.

"Five years ago just two girls attended the summer conferences from St. John's," said Rev. Fr. Stepanos Doudoukjian, Director of the Summer Conferences. "They had a wonderful time and when they returned home, they really spread the message. Each year we have had increasing numbers of participants from Detroit," he said. "Last summer, young people from St. John's made up over 10% of the St. Nersess summer conference participants."

The Nigosian Band and a DJ will perform at the dance. The price is $25.00 per person.

All-Day Mini St. Nersess ConferenceOn Saturday, St. Nersess staff and alumni will direct an daylong program for youth entitled, "The Armenian Church: Security for Your Inner Homeland." The program will be conducted by Fr. Stepanos Doudoukjian, and the dean, Fr. Daniel Findikyan. Also participating will be Fr. Sarkis Petoyan, a seminary alumnus and pastor of St. John Armenian Church, San Francisco, CA; Jason Demerjian, a seminarians and Director of College Ministry for the Eastern Diocese; as well as the pastor of St. John's, Fr. Garabed Kochakian and his Yeretzgin, Roberta.

The Saturday program, which will include discussions, fellowship and fun (and lunch!) is open to high school and college students. Contact hpk619@hotmail.com for further information and reservations.

An Evening for Deacons and Altar ServersThe weekend will begin Friday evening at 6:00 PM with a workshop for deacons and altar servers conducted by thevisiting priests. The workshop will focus on Antasdan, the unique service of Blessing the Four Corners of the World

"This service is conducted several times throughout the year and is unique to the Armenian Church," said Fr. Daniel, who teaches liturgy at the seminary and directs a Deacons' Training Program at St. Nersess each summer. "On Friday evening we will discuss the meaning of this service: where it came from and why we conduct it. We will also review some of the primary chants and practice the processional movements that make up the ceremony." Assisting in the musical portion of the one-hour workshop will be Deacon Rubik Mailian, a St. Nersess graduate who serves as Director of Music at St. John's.

After the workshop, the St. John's altar servers and deacons will be dinner guests of St. Nersess. "At St. Nersess we appreciate the dedication of those who serve at the holy altar and we would like to honor them in this small way," said Fr. Daniel.

In the past year the seminary has sponsored "St. Nersess Weekends" in Southfield, MI, Evanston, IL and Philadelphia, PA. To arrange a seminary visit to your parish write to info@stnersess.edu.

April 1, 2005There is a place where American-Armenian teens and college students learn to love God and the Armenian Church.

Where the traditions of the Armenian Church come alive.

Where the Badarak surprises even the least-suspecting teenager with the power of God.

Where friendships formed with other Armenian kids are deep and strong.

Where God doesn't seem so far away.

Where being an Armenian Christian is challenging and fun!

That place is St. Nersess Armenian Seminary during the 2005 summer conferences.

If you are a student in Junior High School, High School or College. Or, if college is behind you and you are navigating the "real world" in a career. Or, if you are a deacon or altar server. Or, if you would like to become a deacon or altar server, then St. Nersess invites you to spend a few days here this summer.

To learn more about this summer's St. Nersess Conferences, download an application

Several clergy joined the dean and seminarians in commemorating the Feast of the Forty Martyrs of Sebastia on Saturday evening, March 5 in the seminary chapel. During the solemn Evening Service (Yeregoyan Zham) V. Rev. Fr. Daniel Findikyan lifted high above his head a golden reliquary containing a tiny relic of the Forty Martyrs, as the seminarians sang the hymn (sharagan) of the day.

Commemorated on the fourth Saturday of Great Lent in the calendar of the Armenian Church, the Forty Martyrs were Armenian Christians who were soldiers in the eastern garrison of the Roman army during the reign of Emperor Licinius in 320 AD. At this time the Emperor had initiatied a major persecution of Christians throughout the Empire.

Young Armenian Soldiers Sacrifice their Lives for ChristWhen the Armenian youths were found to be Christian, and repeatedly refused to renounce their faith, they were subjected to grueling and horrible tortures. Finally, they were stripped of their clothing and cast into the freezing waters of a pond on the outskirts of the western Armenian town of Sebastia on a bitter cold winter night. To further tantalize the youths, guards had set up cauldrons of hot water on the shore, hoping to lure the young men to reject their public profession of Christianity. One of the youths did yield but as he set foot on solid ground he collapsed dead.

Immediately one of the guards saw a miraculous, brilliant light shining above the heads of the martyrs. Convinced that this was a sign from God, the guard proclaimed his faith in Christ and ran into the water, becoming the fortieth holy martyr.

Early the next morning, the guards were instructed to collect the remains of the forty martyrs and to burn them to prevent other Christians from being emboldened by the Christian conviction of the Armenian youths. The ashes were cast back into the pond. Nevertheless, local Christians harvested the holy relics of the martyrs, which radiated a bright light from beneath the water.

A Relic of the Forty Martyrs at St. NersessOne of these relics is now in the protection of St. Nersess Seminary. The tiny relic, together with documentation certifying its authenticity, was given to the Seminary in 2001 by the Franciscan Friars of St. Crispus, who live near the Seminary in Yonkers, NY. They offered the gift as a gesture of love and friendship on the 1700th anniversary of Armenia's Christian conversion.

Participating in the Evening Service with the dean and seminarians were Rev. Fr. Karekin Kasparian, a member of the Board of Directors and Pastor of St. Gregory the Enlightener Armenian Church (White Plains, NY); Rev. Fr. Antranig Baljian, Pastor of St. Stephen Armenian Church (Watertown, MA) and father of seminarian Deacon Nishan Baljian; and Rev. Fr. Daniel Karadjian, a priest from Plovdiv, Bulgaria studying this year at St. Nersess.

Are You Ready to Testify to the Truth of Your Faith?"The Forty Martyrs of Sebastia are particularly important to us at St. Nersess," said Fr. Karadjian in his sermon following the service. "Like them, we too are surrounded by people who question or deny the truth of our faith in Jesus Christ. Are you ready to testify in word and deed to the truth of our faith?," he asked the seminarians provocatively.

Following a tradition of the Armenian Patriarchate of Jerusalem, a basin of water had earlier been set up on a table in the seminary chapel. In it floated forty burning candles, a poignant symbol of the light of Christ burning in hearts of the Forty Martyrs of Sebastia as they sacrificed their earthly lives for Him.

At the conclusion of the service, those present came forward to venerate the sacred relic of the Forty Martyrs.